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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23642524">Meantime</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghastjio/pseuds/Ghastjio'>Ghastjio</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>T.A.G. Universe [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Homestuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Major Character Death warning 'cause some of them might talk about how they died in the past</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:02:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,135</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23642524</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghastjio/pseuds/Ghastjio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Their players won the game. Or at least, they thought they did, and they thought that meant they could go free. Despite being cast across the universe itself as sprites, ghosts, and everything in between, they were happy with the reward the others earned. Now they're somewhere else entirely. Where are they? How do they leave? What are they meant to do? Only time will answer their questions, no matter how much they may hate its confines.</p><p>Meantime is a companion work to The Alternate Game and is meant to be read at the same time. It's a separate work now due to just how many plans I have for it, just like Meanwhile.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>T.A.G. Universe [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1512065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Meantime</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Previous chapter - <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/20966234/chapters/56744797">A Scream</a>.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Davepeta lands on the platform with a thud, yowling in frustration as they sink their claws into it. They penetrate it easily but it reforms as soon as they pull their claws back out. Another wave of anger hits them and they start slashing at it, hating the way it gives like clay only to fix itself right before the next blow comes raining down. Eventually they give up, flexing their hands as they stare at the perfectly intact ground beneath them. Their claws slide in and out of their gloves with each flex. Slowly but surely the motion draws their attention enough to distract them. In and out, in and out. Their breathing slows to something more normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nepeta used to do it whenever she got too frustrated, back before she died and found herself as a sprite. The smoothness of it, the weight of the claws shifting her balance ever so slightly, it always helped. Dave used to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet and they’ve since added that into the mix. With the combination, they can almost forget the weird place they’re in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Hal slides underneath them. “Finally calmed down, broster?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They groan and roll their eyes, though they don’t bother hiding their smile. Hal’s been trying out some…</span>
  <em>
    <span> interesting</span>
  </em>
  <span> forms of locomotion now that he’s an android instead of a pair of shades. “As much as I can be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He purses his lips as he looks past them. He’s also been trying his hand at expressions too, which has made Davepeta giggle on more than one occasion. Eventually he sighs and holds a hand up. “Yeah, it’s kind of hard to be calm with fuckhead over there doing jack shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They grimace and grab Hal’s hand to pull him up, easily lifting him despite his weight. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. He’s a clawddamn denizen and he’s just sitting there. Won’t talk to us, won’t fight us, we can’t make a scratch on him. We can’t even get away from him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hal dusts himself off despite the lack of dirt on this platform. This one looks like cracked stone, though it acts the same as all the others. “At least he isn’t killing us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would almost be purrfurable,” they grumble, before moving to sit at the edge of the platform. There’s hundreds like it, all “made” of separate materials, all floating around the massive denizen in the center. Yaldabaoth is much bigger than Hephaestus and Alke combined and those are just the denizens Davepeta has seen. He might even be bigger than </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them combined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that isn’t stopping Caliborn from trying to beat the shit out of him. He’s bouncing around, screaming and flailing his crowbar wildly as if it hasn’t bounced off Yaldabaoth’s scales countless times before. What did he say? Something about this version of him being way bigger and more powerful? Davepeta wasn’t exactly listening on account of Dave’s hatred of the guy. He may still be a child (or maybe he’s one again?) but that doesn’t mean all the things he did as Lord English were meaningless. It doesn’t mean training Dave through Bro was meaningless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sawtooth lands on the platform with a metal thud. Davepeta glances back at him before returning their gaze to the denizen again. Brobot is a blinding metal blur around Yaldabaoth’s base. No doubt he’s been cutting away at the same spots for as long as they’ve been there. Shame there isn’t a scratch to show for it. Still, might as well get the deets from Sawtooth. “How are things going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unlike Hal’s sleek new body, Sawtooth’s old one doesn’t have an up-to-date voice box. His voice is heavy and metallic, and his sighs sound like the scrape of metal on metal. Davepeta has to return to flexing their hands and watching their claws slide in and out every time they talk to him. Poor Dave. “Fine,” Sawtooth says, making sure his sentences are short and concise. He’s more than aware of the effect his voice has on them. “No wounds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hal groans and flops down on the ground again. It’s careful, however. He still isn’t used to the feeling of pain. “So what do we </span>
  <em>
    <span>do?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hal doesn’t like that answer any more than the past two times he’s heard it. He groans and yells at the black sky “give us something to do!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The answer comes immediately, rolling across the space like thunder exactly like the first time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="black">[ERROR 401: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS]</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a second the edges of the space they’re in are visible. Davepeta can see the corners of  the black box surrounding them, lighting up white with each syllable. Then the text-to-speech type voice leaves and the walls grow dark again. Yaldabaoth didn’t even flinch. In fact, he hasn’t moved since they got here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hal is groaning again and kicking his feet so Sawtooth cuts him off. “We wait for access.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve said that every time! Access to </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?</span>
  </em>
  <span> What’s unauthorized? What are we waiting for? I didn’t get a body just to waste away in a land of </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I can’t even get off this fucking platform.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davepeta decides to cut in, turning away from the denizen to sit cross legged. “And you say that every time. I have wings, he has rocket boots. We can take you to other platforms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hal crosses his arms and turns his head to look at them. “And what then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you really think we know more than you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stares at them for a moment before sighing and lifting an arm to drape it over his face. “No. It’s just frustrating. Being here is barely better than being stuck in a pair of shades. At least I could </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> things in sprite form. At least I wasn’t even aware enough to know I couldn’t contribute in Lord English.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They reach over to gently pat Hal’s synthetic hair. “There there. You’ll get to beat the shit out of somebody soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hal’s mouth quirks into a small smile. “You always know just what to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do,” they say, before standing up. “Just call me over if you need something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulls his arm back down to his side to look at them. “You’re leaving again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davepeta nods and looks up at the black space around them. “There has to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> way out, and I’m going to find it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hal looks at them for a long moment before nodding. “Good luck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They flash him a smile before launching themselves upwards, bright wings beating hard to take them far past the highest platform. They’ve been at this for what feels like days now, but they’re never going to stop. Not until they find some way out of this place. After all, nothing’s impossible.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next Chapter - <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/17784692/chapters/63761080">Heroes and Villains Pt. 6</a>.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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